东涌怀古-古物古迹办事处.PDF

Relics in Tung Chung Introduction - 1644 1911 1817 Situated at the mouth of the Pearl River estuary, which was the main passage for maritime trade to and from China at the time, Lantau Island enjoyed great strategic importance Records from the Guangdong Annals describing the batteries during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). In the late 18th built at Tung Chung Hou century, Tai O and Tung Chung were considered to be the only safe anchorages on the island, but Tung Chung was then unfortified, the military post at Tai O was manned by only 30 soldiers and the nearest fort at Fan Lau was a considerable distance away. The Qing government therefore decided to build batteries at Tung Chung Hou (today’s Tung Chung) to reinforce the coastal defences. According to the Chinese provincial records of the time, the Viceroys of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, Jiang Youxian and Ruan Yuan, proposed building eight guardhouses at Tung Chung Hou and two batteries at the foot of Rocky Lion Hill. Locations of Tung Chung Hou and the Right Camp of the Dapeng Battalion as shown on a map of the Xinan Gazetteer